Seventeen #3
He lowered his voice, then. "Head 'round to the west docks, down by where the whoremongers are. Out on old dock twelve, you'll find Wolf's Bite. Tell 'em Charlie sent ya. I'm sure they'll have a berth—if you're any good with those swords, that is."
"Thanks," I told him and bought him another beer, then laid a few more bills on the bar. "Think I'll go see if they're in port."
"Oh, they're in port, all right. Good luck!"
Slipping off the bar stool, I grabbed my bag and staggered out—straightening up once I was out the door and headed off.
That part of the docks was in pretty poor shape, and the police didn't get down there often from what I'd seen of the area.
When I got to dock twelve, there were a handful of ships there, and the ones closest in were so run-down looking, I wondered if they could even sail, much less fly.
I picked my way down the pier, and the ships started to look better, but they were still small haulers and such.
The Wolf's Bite was at the end of the pier, a little rough-looking, but overall in good shape.
I could see the bullet pockmarks along the side of the hull and the concealed line guns on the deck.
There was a pair of rough-looking types standing down at the base of the ramp.
"Whadda you want?" one of them asked and then spat into the water.
"Charlie down at Gannon's told me ya might have room for another hand."
"Uh-huh, and just what makes you think we want the likes of you?"
"'Cause if there's fighting to be done for money, well, I'm pretty good with my swords, and Charlie says yer captain pays well."
"Still doesn't tell me why I should let you onboard. Captain's busy. Captain's always busy."
"I could just toss the two of you in the lake, then there'd be nobody to stop me, right?" I said, smiling.
"Iffen you think you can get by me, you're crazy," the one who'd been talking said, drawing his sword.
So I drew mine, skipped forward, parried his to the side, and kicked him in the balls. He screamed, dropped his sword, and doubled over, so I just pushed him into the water while the other one stepped back with his hands up and laughed.
Putting my sword away, I walked up the ramp. There was a man up there, snickering.
"Are there any berths aboard?" I asked.
"Do you have any idea what kind of ship this is?" the man asked.
"Well, all those bullet marks along the side and the concealed line guns make it clear to me that this is a rescue ship."
"Rescue?" the man said, giving me a weird look.
"Yeah, yer rescuing all that gold, money, and lovely women from the straight-and-narrow!" I said and winked.
He snickered at that. "Ever sail up here before?"
"Years ago, when I was but a lad, ship I was on ran into some trouble, and our benefactor killed off all the officers.
Was lucky to get away from that one. So I headed round to Rossiya, and they were hiring for a time, until they got some weird sorta religion.
Been kicking around a bit since, trying to make a run at working a regular ship, all legit like, but the captain figured out I was doing some business on the side and put me off. "
"Oh? What ship was that?"
"Dunlop."
"Oh? Any idea where they're going?"
"Well, if I had a berth, I might be willing to share that information."
"I'm gonna kill that asshole!" the guy I'd pushed into the water bellowed as he climbed up the ladder at the end of the dock.
"No, yer, not!" the man next to me yelled at him, then turned back to me. "Come on, let's go see the captain. We got space, and takin' the Dunlop would definitely get ye' a berth."
We went into the deckhouse and up to the second floor. The man leading me knocked on the door to the captain's cabin.
"What is it?" a man's voice called out.
"Cap'n, we got a former deckhand from the Dunlop that wants to sign on."
I heard some rustling, and then the door opened. The captain was a big man, taller than me, and heavier built, as well.
"Do you know where they're goin'?"
"I do."
"And you'd sell 'em out, why?"
"Captain found out I was tradin' on the side, and he took me goods and put me off the ship. Sailed with him for two years, figurin' I'd try and change my ways. He shoulda done one or the other, not both."
"Any good with those swords?"
"I watched him best Bregart and push him in the water," the man who'd brought me here said. "Was quick about it, too."
"So you think he's good?"
"Aye, aye, Cap'n."
"Fine, you're aboard. Where they going?"
"They gotta stop at Martin's Lake for a small cargo, and day after that, Red Lake. Then they're sailing for Lassen. They're delivering gear for the mines at Giyon and Mangan."
"Recall the crew and get us ready to lift, Byron."
"Yes, Cap'n"
"Thankee, Cap'n," I added.
"What's yer name?"
"Ross, Cap'n."
"Any special skills?"
"Engineer's mate, Cap'n."
"Damn, you're definitely welcome, then. Show him to Kenso, then go recall the crew."
"Yes, Cap'n!"
With that, Byron led me off to the engine room and introduced me to Kenso, who was apparently the chief engineer.
Two hours later, I had a bunk and a foot locker, and I was working in the engine room as we took off.
Scuttlebutt had it that the captain was going to lay for the Dunlop at the Lassen portal that led through to Giyon.
Considering how much cargo a ship like that carried, and what the ship was worth, the crew was pretty excited.
"How many fighters do we have onboard?" I asked Kenso once we'd been underway for a couple of hours. The sun was setting when we lifted, and I knew it was a good seven- to eight-hour run to the portal we were heading for.
"Down here in engineering, it's just you and me, so don't go gettin' your hopes up for any fighting."
"Aw, but I need the money!"
"Cap'n's pretty good about the splits. I wouldn't worry about it much."
"Still, do we have enough?"
"We got thirteen plus the two helmsmen, the cook, and of course, the first mate and the cap'n."
"Who's the first mate?"
"Byron, who brought ya' down here."
I nodded and looked around. "So how long ye been doing this?"
"Oh, three, four year now? Sure beats working on the ore boats. They got any women on board the Dunlop? I haven't gotten laid in weeks."
I shrugged and punched him in the face, stunning him, then, using my enhanced strength, I wrung his neck, killing him. I stashed his body in the parts locker, then decided to go exploring.
I went up on the deck first, heading towards the stern. I found the rear lookout smoking a cigarette of some sort.
"Oh, hey, you must be the new guy."
"Yup. Taking a break and trying not to run into Bregart. Think he's holdin' a grudge?
"Probably."
I looked around and didn't see anybody, so I punched him in the neck, then picked him up and threw him off the boat with enough strength that he cleared the lifeboat. He was still choking as he fell out of sight. Two down, seventeen to go.
I made my way up towards the bow. There was another lookout on the starboard side.
"You the new guy?" he asked, and I just punched him hard in the face and tossed him over while he was still groggy, making sure not to hit the wing.
I then doubled back and around, getting the port-side lookout, as well.
The bow lookout was visible from the bridge, so I left him and went back down below decks.
All of the crew down here were in their bunks, sleeping, so I got out a dagger and went bed to bed, killing them one at a time with a dagger through the eye.
A couple woke up as I got to their bunks, so I grabbed them by the throat with my left hand as I drove the dagger in with my right. Things were going pretty well until somebody saw me as they came back from the head and screamed.
Sighing, I threw the dagger at him, hitting him, then I pulled out my pistol and started shooting.
By the time I was done, there were nine dead bodies, and now everyone on board was awake.
I ran back to engineering and killed the electrical power to everything on board except the fans, plunging the ship into complete darkness.
Shifting into my champion form, I rearranged my gear and waited to see who showed up first.
I was surprised that Byron came down first. He had a flashlight, and he shone it around. I was crouched down behind one of the diesel engines, so he didn't see me. He immediately turned, went to the power board, and started turning things back on.
Picking up a wrench, I came up behind him and crushed his skull, then turned everything back off.
Five left.
Leaving the engine room again, I went back up onto the deck, then entered the deckhouse from the rear.
There was no one in the passageway, and it was quiet as I stopped by each of the cabins until I got to the kitchen.
There was a light flickering through the open hatch, so I got down low and peeked around.
I saw a man with a shotgun trying to hold a weak flashlight on the door.
He was trembling, and it was obvious that the flashlight was quickly getting weaker, so he was sweating something fierce.
When he paused to wipe his face, I shot him.
The shotgun went off; I guess he had his finger on the trigger.
Unfortunately, I caught a few pellets as they ricocheted off the floor.
Popping a healing spell, I charged up the front stairs onto the bridge and shot the helmsman and another crewman who was there.
The captain came in shooting just as I took my second shot, and I got hit twice as I dove for cover. I used another heal and flattened myself against the wall.
"What the hell are you, and what the hell are you doing on my boat?" he yelled and fired a couple more shots in my direction.